A long-running bid to regularise historic quarrying works at a south Donegal quarry has been approved.
An Coimisiún Pleanála has granted substitute consent, allowing the regularisation of historic quarrying works carried out at the site.
The application, submitted by Bridget and Gabriel Murray of Murray Stone in September 2023, related to the continuation of existing quarrying operations involving the extraction and grading of stone for the construction industry, together with associated site development works at Drumbeagh, Mountcharles.
The application was accompanied by a remedial Environmental Impact Assessment Report (rEIAR).
The planning body concluded that, subject to seven conditions, the development would not have caused unacceptable environmental impacts and was satisfied that the quarry would not seriously injure residential amenities or create unacceptable traffic safety issues.
It also found the development to be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.
As part of its assessment, An Coimisiún Pleanála determined that the quarry would not be likely to have a significant effect on nearby European protected sites, including St John’s Point Special Area of Conservation, Donegal Bay Special Protection Area, Donegal Bay (Murvagh) Special Area of Conservation and Durnesh Lough Special Area of Conservation.
The Commission also accepted that exceptional circumstances existed to justify granting substitute consent. It found that the application did not undermine the objectives of European environmental legislation, that the environmental assessment process had not been substantially impaired, and that there was no indication the previous quarrying activities had resulted in significant adverse environmental effects.
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However, the order makes clear that the substitute consent does not authorise any future extraction or the continuation of quarrying.
Instead, it relates only to development that has already taken place and excludes certain unexcavated areas within the site.
A number of conditions have been attached to the decision.
These include the implementation of all mitigation measures identified in the remedial environmental assessment, the preparation of an invasive species management plan, ongoing environmental monitoring, and the submission of detailed restoration proposals.
The restoration scheme must provide for site stabilisation, landscaping, removal of machinery and waste materials, and must not involve further quarry extraction unless separate planning approval is obtained.
The developer must also comply with road safety measures during restoration works and lodge a financial bond with Donegal County Council to guarantee the satisfactory restoration of the site.
The Commission’s order was signed on 8 July 2026, bringing to a close a substitute consent application that was lodged in September 2023.